Algerian Berbers celebrate the Yennayer New Year in Ath Mendes, south of Tizi-Ouzou, east of the capital Algiers, on January 12, 2018. The Berbers -- an ethnic group descended from the pre-Arab populations across North Africa -- are currently celebrating their New Year festivities. Today -- for the first time -- the Yennayer New Year is being marked as a national holiday in Algeria. / AFP PHOTO / RYAD KRAMDI